Shifters and Shadows
by What Lies Beyond
Summary: My friends and I are in the Kalos region trying to stop Cipher, which has been resurrected once again. They have stolen Pokemon from many Trainers to use in their Shadow Pokemon army-including my own. But it isn't easy for us to try and get them back. There are those that are after us, too. Why? Because of what we are. We aren't your average Trainers. We're Shifters.
1. Prologue, Part 1

_**This is my first fanfiction published online. I typically write them down, but I'm running out of notebooks. The first few chapters have already been typed and I hope to upload them soon, but after that there might be some delays on further chapters. **_

_**The prologue's kinda long, so I broke it up into two parts.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**_

Prologue, part 1

The wind rustled through the branches of the tree I perched in, the branch I stood on swaying gently. I felt the breeze ruffle my silver fur, and the sun was warm on my back. I could see far in any direction I looked in, and though my friends weren't visible, I knew they were out there searching, too.

_Can you hear me?_ I called, reaching out with my mind. _Have you found any signs of them yet? _

_ No. _ The first reply, always Emma, echoed in my head. I could imagine her in the forest, using her flame to illuminate anything that might be a clue. Further away, Jake and David responded as they searched the river, again with negative results. Tilting my head back and closing my eyes, I reached out to touch a mind high above me.

_I can't see anything up here either._ That was Michael, and I began to feel like we may need to look elsewhere. Our quarry's trail had passed this way, but now we were faced with dead ends. But there was still one hope, and I reached out again.

_Cameron… have you had any luck? _Cameron should have been able to pick up on any traces of aura left behind, but…..

_ Nothing. The trail here is cold. I'm sorry, Kitt…..I've failed._

_ Nonsense. You're being hard on yourself again. Our enemy has gotten smarter. We'll find another way to track them down._

I sighed. So another false lead, and Cameron was beating himself up again because of it. I felt bad for him, but really, this wasn't his fault. If there was anyone who deserved the blame….

A whimper distracted me from my thoughts. Down below, nestled in a blanket in the shade, was curled a tiny Shinx. He whimpered again, and his voice echoed softly in my head.

_Hungry….Mama…..Where are you…_

Poor thing. His mother had been taken, stolen from her trainer before he had hatched. My friends and I were doing our best to care for him, but it wasn't easy. Not only had the little Pokémon had his mother stolen, but she had been caring for his egg when the intruders had burst into the room at Oak's lab where she had slipped away to spend time with him as his egg was incubated. She had defended him from the Pokémon Hunter who had tried to steal him, and had been captured along with almost all of her trainer's Pokémon while her trainer was helpless. The little Shinx, who already been having a tough time , had been so traumatized that it was a miracle he had hatched at all. Still, his health was frail at best, so we had to keep an eye on him. He was so timid, though, that it was easy, because he would freak out if left alone.

_Hungry….._

The call repeated, so I sent out one last telepathic message: _We need to have a meeting. Come back._

Then, after making sure that there weren't any humans around, I leapt from the branch, focused-

And_ Shifted_.

A soft glow surrounded me, and I felt my body painlessly change form. I landed in a crouch, then rose and made my way over to a pile of backpacks, shoes, and supplies. I pulled out a bottle and a packet of the formula David had mixed the night before, and added some water from the nearby stream. As I shook the bottle to mix the concoction, I walked over to the bundle on the ground and sat down, placing it on my lap. Anakin poked his head out from under a fold of the blanket, and after a moment's hesitation, latched onto the bottle. He was pretty cute like that, wrapping his tiny paws around it to keep it still. He was so small for his age and species, though…. And he wasn't growing as fast as a Shinx should at three weeks of age. I felt a surge of anger that someone would take the mother of such a tiny Pokémon, and guilty, too, because I had been unable to prevent it.

Behind me, I heard a Pokémon pull itself from the stream, and I turned to see a hybrid creature, his features a cross between Jolteon and Vaporeon, shaking himself dry. Then, his outline brightened and grew, and a boy my own age was standing where the hybrid had been.

There's one thing I forgot to mention about my friends and I: We aren't your average Trainers. We're Shifters.


	2. Prologue, Part 2

_**I just realized how long this second part of the prologue is, but I can't break it up further. Oops. Anyways, this is a bit of background on the characters, and also clears up a bit what being a Shifter really means. **_

_**For anyone who has ever played Colosseum or Gale of Darkness, you may see some familiar faces. **_

_**The same goes for anyone who has watched any of the movies, as coming up there will be a scene that is in one but that I have changed a bit. I'll see if you can guess it.**_

_**One final note: Kitt will mention online fanfictions where people who have written Shifter stories, and how she feels about that. I apologize if anyone finds her opinion offensive.**_

**Kitt: But I won't.**

_**Get back in the story.**_

Prologue, Part 2

You may have heard of us—maybe not us in particular, but those like us. Shifters, those that transform into Pokémon-though that is the name my friends and I gave ourselves. I don't know what other Shifters refer to themselves as, but I have heard normal humans call us other things. Weres. Pokémorphs. Demons. Freaks. And a host of other names. Sometimes we hear this from Pokémon as well. There are very few who are sympathetic to our nature.

My friends and I avoid telling others what we are. Most Shifters do, so humans rarely know when they live alongside us. We like it that way, because there are those that would kill—and I mean that literally—to capture us. Shifters are sometimes regarded as little more than lab rats. And who can be blamed? We transform into Pokémon, we have abilities that few do. We can communicate telepathically, our senses are stronger, and sometimes when we are weak or sick we get stuck in Pokémon form. And then there are those who would like to capture us as little more than trophies, be it alive….or dead.

Another thing about us is the number of misconceptions that have been associated to our talents. They are, as I will explain, untrue. We are not the spawn of demons, we can control our Shifts, and we are generally not going to attack out of the blue. Being bitten will not transform you into a Shifter or a Pokémon, and Shifting is not painful at all, unless forced against one's will. We heal faster, but that can be explained by our Pokémon DNA. Shifters have just one Pokémon form, which typically does not change or evolve, and we are not the familiars of sorcerers and witches. And we don't typically shrink or burst out of our clothing when we Shift, either. I don't know who started _that_ little rumor, but it's not true, or we'd be dying of embarrassment right and left. Honestly, I've read online some of the stuff people use in their stories, and I can personally say that they have no clue what they're talking about.

Among the final rumors are those about why we can Shift. Some say it's genetic, be it hereditary or a mutation. Some say that we're created; artificially given the ability. It's a blessing, a curse, granted by Mew, Arceus, an unknown power….. The gift is given to those who are searching for a better life….. I've heard it all. And actually, to some of these, there might be a grain of truth.

I've always been able to Shift, or at least, for as long as I can remember. I grew up outside of Pallet, living in the forests with friendly Pokémon. I don't know who my parents are, but I was happy with my foster family, even if it was strange to grow up among Pokémon. When I left on my journey, after meeting Professor Oak—who had known about me but kept my existence secret-it was a Pokémon from the forest who I had known for a while that accompanied me. And as I explored other regions, I came across other Shifters by accident.

I met Emma in Johto. She was a few months older, and though we were different (her fiery hair but cool nature as opposed to my rather plain looks but hot temper), we ended up travelling together. Somehow, we both knew the other was a Shifter, but never spoke about it until we saved each other's lives during a freak storm in the mountains. After that, we decided to travel to Hoenn, because that was where Emma had grown up. She had heard about a Charmeleon Shifter being spotted there, and wondered if it was her older brother, who had cared for her as they grew up on the streets. Emma was a Charmander Shifter, so her hopes of meeting her brother again had risen considerably, but by the time we got there, it was too late. The Shifter had vanished. On the other hand, we did find another there.

That was David, who was visiting from Sinnoh as a part of his journey. He was planning on becoming a Pokémon doctor, but was having a hard time dodging Pokémon Hunters. Apparently they were after his Shiny Absol, though, not knowing about his secret. We managed to help him throw them off his trail, but had gotten used to travelling together, so we continued our journeys together. It was a big help, as David knew a lot about the habits of Pokémon, and was an expert at preparing nutritional diets for them. Unfortunately, he could burn water when cooking human food, and after a few explosions we learned to keep him away from whatever was for dinner. It didn't help that he liked to pull practical jokes. Still, his Water-Type abilities as a Piplup Shifter came in handy a lot, and he had type advantages in battle Emma and I didn't.

We had been lucky to avoid capture at first, but our first night in the Sinnoh region David managed to majorly screw up and we were captured. That was how we met Cameron and Jake.

We had been kept in a lab in separate cells, like those at a jail. When I had woken up, I had noticed two boys in the cells further down the row. One was curled up on his bed, sound asleep. The other was gripping the bars of his cell, yelling profanities at anyone in a lab coat. Jake had been the one sleeping. When we broke out of there, we dragged him along with us. Cameron had insisted, despite Jake's reluctance to leave. As it turned out, the two had struck up an uneasy friendship while captive.

Uneasy, because Jake hadn't been captured. He'd been born and raised there, not knowing what had really been going on. It was easy to tell, not only because of his unfamiliarity with the outside world, but because of his strange Pokémon form. We called it a Volteon. It was similar in build to a Jolteon, but not quite as lean. His paws had sturdy claws, but also the webbing of a Vaporeon. His head and muzzle was similar to Jolteon, but his ears appeared to be a fusion of both Pokémon, having the leading edge of Jolteon ears, while other edge was similar in shape to a Vaporeon's. The ruff around his neck was the same—it was not as spiky as a Jolteon, and the fur was stiffer, reminiscent of the spines of a Vaporeon's webbed collar. The ridge down his back and his fluked tail were also from his Vaporeon nature, but his tail was shorter and the ridge less pronounced. His fur was a little long for a Vaporeon but short for a Jolteon, and a mix of yellows and blues. I figured that he had actually been created, and whoever had engineered his Pokémon form hadn't had a set plan….almost as if just prototyping.

Cameron had been captured, but with a twist. He hadn't been a Shifter. It took a while for him to trust me with his story, but when he did it horrified me.

Cameron had been training to become an Aura Guardian, still apprenticed when he had been captured. They had done something to him, changed him somehow, and he had become a Shifter. In a cruel twist, perhaps knowing of his dream, they had given him Riolu DNA. When he had escaped the first time, he had returned to his mentor and pretended nothing had happened, but after an uncontrolled Shift, his teacher had found out and dissolved the apprenticeship, leaving Cameron's dream shattered. He had been recaptures soon after, and that was when we'd been brought in as well.

That just leaves Michael. Unlike the rest of us, who've been travelling together for a couple years now (we're all about sixteen, give or take a couple weeks), Michael's only been hanging out with us for a few months. Him, you've probably heard of, though he's trying to keep his reputation a secret now. The kid who took down Cipher at thirteen, following their comeback. He was a normal human too when we first met—tracking down a local Shadow Pokémon outbreak. Trainers had had their Pokémon disappear, only to later turn up as Shadows, our abbreviated term for them. He would Snag them, Purify them, and then return them to their trainer. There are two others also working on that –Wes and Rui, but for some reason Michael decided to travel with us instead. He worked out our secret, but swore to never tell. But somehow a Hunter still tracked us down, with two very familiar Shadows: two of my own Pokémon, who had been at Oak's lab last I knew. He had a Pokéballs-like device that could capture Shifters, and indeed had already done so, the two being friends that we had run into a few times. He had been too strong an opponent, and had about capture us when Michael had thrown himself between us and taken the hit from the device meant for me. It wasn't designed for use on humans and had malfunctioned, exploding in a blast of electricity. However, Michael had been caught in the explosion, and it had awakened something in his genes, so when the Hunter tried again and Michael attempted to block the device a second time, he was forced into Shifting and was captured. In desperation, we managed rescue him and the other two Shifters, but the Hunter took the two Shadows with him.

Michael took a while to adapt to his Pokémon form, and eventually managed to transform back. Still it wasn't easy, and it took a long time to teach him to Shift at will. His Pokémon form was strange, too, probably because he had never been meant to become a Shifter. It was sort of like a streamlined Eevee, only with longer limbs and hand-like forepaws, and could walk on its hind legs if necessary. All four paws were a darker color than the rest of his body. His ears were long and thin, and had a feathery look to them. His tail wasn't the bushy tail of an Eevee, but sort of like a thinner version, almost like an oar, and it resembles a Zorua's tail with the tip reversed. His ruff was similar to Eevee, but made of fine feathers. And the biggest difference? The wings on his back. We called his Pokémon form a Churreon, a pun on his Flying-type features.

We were currently in the Kalos region, trying to hunt down the newest reincarnation of Cipher. Not only because of the sudden reappearance of Shadow Pokémon that were harder to Purify, but because we had a feeling they might try experimenting on Shifters next. That, and the fact that I was one of the trainers who's Pokémon had been stolen. And among them was Anakin's mother, one of my strongest team members. And I had been unable to prevent the theft.

Somewhere, somehow, I had to get all my Pokémon back. No matter what.


	3. Chapter 1 : Yet Another Day

_**Sorry again for the ridiculously long prologue. Anyway, welcome to the official first chapter! Just watch out for the Shinx sleeping in the corner.**_

Chapter 1: Yet Another Day

Jake came over and sat down, watching Anakin as he sucked on the bottle.

"Little guy seems to be doing okay this morning, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, "I replied, "Though I'm hoping his health won't nosedive again now that you've said that. I'm just glad that he's finally showing a little interest in solid food. He's way behind what's normal for a Shinx."

There was a rustle behind us, and Emma came out from behind the tree, picking leaves out of her hair. She sat down next to Jake, then frowned.

"Jake, there's something stuck to your shirt again, and whatever it is, it's gonna leave a stain."

Jake just sighed. "I've been downstream. Of_ course_ there'd be something stuck to me." He reached back and grabbed a stringy water weed, and yanked. The weed came free of his shirt, but caught in his hair and struggled, and we realized that he had a Skrelp tangled in his spiky blonde mane. Emma pulled it free, then ran it back to the stream and dropped it in. It swam off, and I got the feeling it was annoyed at having found itself in a boy's hair.

"Pretty small Skrelp" a voice commented, and the next thing we knew, Emma had a dripping wet Clauncher on her head. She shrieked, and it fell off and scuttled back to the water. Emma turned and slugged David, and before his brown eyes could widen in shock he was flat on his back as she pounded him.

"Don't. You. EVER. Do. That. Again!" She yelled, and I stood up, handed Anakin to Jake, and pulled Emma off David. She was still angry. Emma had a fear of Crawdaunt, and David knew it. Clauncher was about as close to a Corphish as one could get around here, and I was seriously annoyed at David as well for pulling his little stunt. But someone else spoke before I could do anything.

"_Seriously,_ David?" Cameron had just returned, but not before seeing the whole thing. He shook his head, one tuft of jet-black hair, even spikier than Jake's, falling across his eye. "You need to take Emma's feelings into consideration. We can all take the occasional prank, but using someone's worst fear is just wrong." He sat down in the spot Emma had vacated, looking over Jake's shoulder at Anakin. "Hey little guy…."

Anakin just hid under the blanket.

Cameron frowned at me. "Why's he still doing that?"

"Maybe it's your eyes," David joked. "Who woulda thought a human could have eyes that color?" For indeed, Cameron's eyes were an unsettling shade of amber.

"Not my fault. It's not like I _asked_ to be turned into a Shifter. And I didn't _ask_ for my eye color to change as well. _Or_ to lose my apprenticeship." Cameron was getting annoyed, tugging on one of his fingerless gloves, under which he hid several scars on the backs of his hands. David had hit a nerve, and it was obvious that he realized this, because he abruptly shut up.

I took Anakin back from Jake, who went over to the pile of shoes and dug out his sneakers. He pulled them on, then started rummaging around in one of the backpacks. Pulling out a frying pan, he began looking in another backpack for supplies. Emma noticed and went over to help him set up a spot to begin preparing lunch. Jake may not have lived in the outside world for most of his life, but he was an amazing chef.

Meanwhile, the sound of wing beats filled the air, and Michael came in for a landing, skidding slightly as he touched down. He regained his balance, then Shifted and headed over to the shoe pile to grab his sneakers as well. He tossed mine at me as he approached. That' s one odd thing I've noticed. We always prefer Shifting while barefoot.

"So how goes it with Anakin?" He asked. I glanced up at him. He was wearing jeans and a dark t-shirt, in addition to a navy jacket. I figured it was to try and pass himself off as anyone but the teen who had shut Cipher down, especially after becoming one of us. Michael spared a quick look back at the pile of backpacks, where I knew the Snag Machine was hidden. He tended not to wear it unless there was a Shadow Pokémon around in order to avoid unwanted attention. Actually, it was kinda risky having a group of Shifters this large traveling together, but there wasn't much we could do about it.

Anakin shifted position to peer at Michael, then buried his face in my arm. Michael laughed. "Well, he seems pretty happy, but I guess he's just shy. Lemme try something." He Shifted back to Pokémon form, and this time Anakin attempted to sniff noses with Michael before turning away. I heard Michael's voice in my head again.

_Well, I guess we know how to get him acclimated to everyone here. We just Shift on occasion! Though I 'm not sure how he'd react to watching the actual process…._

He changed back to his human form, then went over to talk to Cameron, who was staring moodily at Jake and Emma, watching them cook. Meanwhile, Anakin had started squirming, so I set him down beside me. He stumbled out of his little blanket nest and looked up at me with those huge eyes of his.

_Play…? _

_Sure_, I replied. I got up and headed for the stream, with Anakin right behind me. After a couple yards he plunked down on the ground, so I carried him the rest of the way. David and Michael were unfolding a tablecloth, so I figured lunch would be ready soon. I glanced at Cameron, who was lining up cans of Pokémon food for the other Pokémon we had with us. They were most likely still exploring, but the aroma that was beginning to waft through the air would soon bring them back.

Anakin wasn't strong enough yet to play most of the games I'd play with a Pokémon his age, so I drew his attention to a leaf drifting in the stream. I grabbed a stick lying on the ground and used it to pull the leaf closer to shore. Anakin watched it, then reached out with a paw and dabbed at it. He was hesitant at first, but soon became engrossed in his game, even stumbling after it as it drifted downstream. I had to pull him back twice because he almost fell in. I wished that Star could see this….

"Food's done!" Jake called, and I waved at him. "Be there in a second!" I could see our Pokémon already there and enjoying lunch—a Fenniken, a Litleo,a Shiny Lucario and Absol, two Fletchling, an Eevee and Umbreon, a Pansage, and a Ralts. I hoped that maybe soon Anakin would be willing to join them, but he was too timid now. Speaking of Anakin…..

_ Where…..? Oh, there he is. _The little Shinx, still engrossed in his game and oblivious to all else, was happily tottering downstream. The leaf sped up and drifted around a bend, and Anakin sat down and watched it until it was out of sight. I picked him up and turned to head back to the table that had been set up and was now loaded with food. However, after a few steps, I set him down, listening. I thought I had heard something, like a growl…

_Nothing. I just imagined it. _I was about to lift Anakin again when the bushes rattled behind me. I turned slowly, seeking out the source, but not seeing anything. Another growl, definitely not friendly, sounded behind me. As I spun around, a shape crashed into me, and I landed on my back, gasping for breath. I was pinned under a large Pokémon, its claws digging into my chest, just above my heart. A Pokémon I knew only too well…

_It can't be…. It's not possible….._

But it was.

"Star…" I whispered. And the Luxray snarled at the sound of her name.


	4. Chapter 2: When Friends Become Enemies

_**This is a rather short chapter, but when I tried to merge it with then next one it didn't work right, so I left it as is. However, this is where things start to get interesting.**_

Chapter Two: When Friends Become Enemies

I heard shouting behind me as I lay there, trapped under Star's claws. Anakin crouched by my side, trembling. I was seriously concerned for him. This was about the _worst_ situation I could think of for a family reunion, and I hoped the trauma wouldn't undo all the progress he had made to overcoming his fears.

"Star…" I whispered, "Don't you recognize me? And Anakin….?" She snarled at us, and I could tell she didn't know who I was anymore. My heart broke, because if she didn't recognize me….then there was no way she'd recognize her own son. Star had never seen him after he hatched, but I'd seen that most Pokémon knew their offspring immediately. What had happened? Unless… _No. No, it cannot be!_

"Run, Anakin. Go to the others. Run!" I wasn't sure Anakin was up to running, but he turned and gave it his best shot. Star let him go, unable to be bothered by such a small target. I reached toward her with my mind, but all I could sense was a roiling ball of hatred. All traces of the gentle Luxray I had known and trained were gone.

I shifted position slightly, and in response her claws dug deeper into my skin, and a faint pulse of electricity ran along them. A warning. I knew Star could easily tear me apart, and just might. Behind me, I could hear Michael struggling with something. Then he shouted in exasperation;

"Cameron, didn't you fix the reader on this thing?!"

"No, because I haven't had time! I would've, but then David had to open his big mouth!" came the reply, punctuated by David's protest. There was a muttered curse, then Michael swore.

"We've got a problem!"

We all knew what that meant. Shadow Pokémon. And it confirmed my worst fears.

Star, or at least the Star I had known, was gone. A Shadow version of herself had taken her place. And from my former partner I could expect no mercy.


	5. Chapter 3: Lovrina

_**Sorry about the delay, I've been finishing a couple chapters, and they took longer than expected, so I'm uploading this in bulk to compensate. This'll probably become the norm.**_

_**So, a new character appears! Spoiler! If you don't want to know who, than don't read the title, though it might be a little late….**_

_**The next few chapters are probably gonna be short, but with a Shadow involved, it'll be worth it.**_

_** Anyways, thanks to everyone who has and will comment! **_

Chapter 3: Lovrina

I was beginning to freak out. Being attacked by a Pokémon was scary enough, but a Shadow Pokémon was much worse. And knowing that Pokémon, having trained them, took it to a whole new level. Star's fangs were inches from my face, and her weight was making it hard to breathe.

"Kitt!" David and Jake were running now, preparing to distract Star, hoping to draw her off me.

"Stay back!" I yelled. "She could do anything at this point!" They slowed and stopped, anxiety on their faces. I saw Michael behind them, readying the Snag Machine, but he saw the look in Star's eyes and backed away. If something were to go wrong, I'd pay the price, and he knew it.

A giggle came from the trees behind me. "Well, well, Seven Hundred, what didja catch?"

"Who are you?!" I gasped, at the same time that Emma yelled "Show yourself!" Oddly enough, Cameron didn't say anything, and I wasn't sure he was still around. I hoped he wasn't planning anything rash.

"Oh, come on now," the voice replied. I realized it was a teen girl, maybe a couple years older than us. "You really want to know who I am?" A sigh, and then she spoke again. "Well, fine. But I didn't come all this way to have a bunch of _kids_ stare at me. I came because Seven Hundred ran off. I wonder why…."

She stepped out of the trees, and I heard a sharp intake of air behind me. "_You!"_

"Hi again, Michael. I see you've found a group of losers to hang out with, as usual." The girl grinned. She was dressed in a tank top and miniskirt, but wore sensible sneakers rather than the high heels one might typically wear with that outfit. Her hair was pulled back in two long pigtails that went almost to her knees, and it was such a strange shade of pink that I figured she had to dye it to get it that color. I found it odd that I noticed this when I should have been focusing on the Shadow Luxray who was about an inch away from killing me.

"Lovrina! What the _heck_ are you doing out here?!" Michael yelled.

_He knew her? _I thought. Then I realized she must have been a member of Cipher or something. There was no freaking way Michael be friends with someone who used Shadow Pokémon.

"Just training my Shadow, not that it'll level up or anything." Lovrina said. It was amazing how casual her speech was, despite obviously disliking Michael. I wondered how she did that. "All of a sudden, Seven Hundred bolted like it had an angry Charizard on its tail, so naturally I followed. And look what I found. Say.…" she said, squinting her eyes. "You seem different somehow. It's not the clothes either….Did you get a haircut or something….?"

I winced. Michael had cut his hair about a week ago, true, so it wasn't quite as long as it had been, but that wasn't the only thing that had changed. If she guessed the truth…..

"Never mind. Oh, hey, Seven Hundred, looks like you've caught a Trainer." She laughed at her attempt at humor. "I wonder…."

Star snarled again. I wondered if Lovrina would be able to do something if she decided to attack.

Lovrina's face brightened. "I get it! You ran off because you scented your old Trainer! Great! I bet she's got more Pokémon that we could use! Okay, you," She said, looking down at me, "I'll take them now."

"Not gonna happen," I spat. "You've caused enough trouble. Hand over Star, and I'll let you go with a warning." I was, of course, still trapped by Star's claws, but I was mad now and overlooked the fact. That, and that there was no way the few Pokémon I had recently captured would be strong enough to take Star down. She was one of my elite Pokémon for a reason.

"Star? Who's Star? The Luxray?" Lovrina asked. The reply that came from my throat was a low growl. "The only Luxray around here is Seven Hundred…Oh, how cute!" She squealed.

I craned my head to see Anakin tottering back towards me. _No, Anakin, run! _I though at him. _Run away!_

Lovrina was beside herself. "Oh, what a precious little Pokémon!" She crooned. Then something crossed her mind.

"Wait…..is he…" She began, glancing from Anakin to Star. "Are they….they are! This is just perfect! And I bet he's got some good attacks, too! Alright, I'm gonna take him, and then I'll have both of them on my team! A mother-and-son Electric combo!" She drew out a Pokéball, and I felt the blood drain from my face. Anakin wasn't strong enough to be put in one yet, so technically he was a wild Pokémon. If he was captured, he'd officially belong to Lovrina. If he survived.

And it was at that moment, of course, that all hell broke loose.


	6. Chapter 4: Hell Breaks Loose

_**This is the shortest chapter yet, and I apologize. On the other hand, it's the beginning of the first fight with Cipher, so it sort of works out.**_

_**One more thing: For anyone who's played XD and Colosseum, you'll noticed that I combined Reverse Mode and Hyper Mode. I decided it would make more sense than having both afflictions present, considering how similar they are. Also, it gives me more room to work with an event that happens in this chapter.**_

Chapter Four: Hell Breaks Loose

A glowing ball of pure energy struck Lovrina's hand, knocking the Pokéball out of it. Anakin, thankfully, had the sense to duck under it as flew by, and after a moment I heard a splash, so it must have landed or been kicked into the stream. As Lovrina spun around with a shriek, clutching at the reddening skin on the back of her hand, a second sphere came in from a different angle and shot over her head.

_Cameron's got some sort of diversion going,_ I thought. _Hope he knows what he's doing, though._ Sometimes his distractions went a little too far, and someone ended up getting hurt. It appeared to me that, whatever he was doing, he was changing position in order to avoid revealing his location. He had never said how much training he had gotten before becoming a Shifter, but however much it was, stealth when on the offensive seemed to have been one of the lessons.

Of course, though, that was when one of the spheres came it at a trajectory that could only have been a mistake, because it struck Star in the flank. She reared up, hissing in pain, and spun around, slashing my shoulder in the process. An involuntary shriek escaped my lips, until I clapped my free hand over my mouth. _This is nothing. I've taken worse injuries. _I knew it would only be a few minutes before the blood would begin to clot, but it still was agony to move that arm. I scrambled to my feet and ran, giving myself some distance from Star.

She was still spitting, and when she faced me again I saw a new, even more dangerous light in her eyes. Michael saw it too, because he started messing with the Aura Reader again. Then he froze.

"Kitt…Star's gone into Reverse Mode…..and something's wrong!"

Reverse Mode was a sort of berserker rage that sometimes came over a Shadow in battle. In addition to ignoring their trainer, they would do damage to themselves as well. They also would sometimes attack any other Pokémon on the battlefield, even an ally, and they would even attack the Trainers as well. There were a couple of ways to snap a Shadow out of Reverse Mode, but lately they had been less effective; perhaps because of a change in the method used to create Shadow Pokémon that also made them harder to Purify. But as far as we knew, nothing had ever gone wrong in any way. What was going on?

"What is it? What happened?" I called.

"Her power levels…they're off the charts…..and there's something else…..her aura's weird! There're these orange streaks…I don't like this at all…."

Behind us, Star's mane had begun to glow with electricity. We barely had time to get down before she unleashed it with a howl. The sky flashed blue, and a crack of thunder split the sky. A number of trees came down in the resulting shockwave, and I realized what Michael meant. Star wasn't just supercharged….she was out of control!

Even Lovrina was getting nervous. She held up a Pokéball, and I could see her hand shaking. But just as she was about to call Star back, a bolt of electricity struck it…and the Pokéball shattered.

Now, our only chance was to attempt to Snag Star before anything else went wrong.


	7. Chapter 5: Shadow

_**If these chapters are too short, let me know. I can try to work on that.**_

Chapter Five: Shadow

Everyone, even Lovrina, seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, and it seemed that, for now, an unspoken truce had been forged. Still, it was almost suicide to be tackling a high-leveled Shadow in an unknown form of Reverse Mode like we were. And Cameron hadn't come back yet. I was starting to worry that he might've pushed himself too hard again. The last time he had…

Star was eyeing all of us as if trying to seek out the weakest member to attack first. This was getting seriously freaky. A low growl rumbled in her throat. I was finding it harder to connect the gentle Pokémon I had trained to this feral creature stalking us, but I knew that if nothing was done, then I could never bring back the Star I had known. And then….she attacked!

Emma dove out of the way, and David shoved Jake to the ground before throwing himself flat as well. Star spun and launched herself a t Lovrina, who to my shock grabbed her head as she tried to sink her teeth in her arm. They struggled for a moment, then Lovrina forced Star to one side. I was amazed; I had never seen anyone try that. Then I remembered that as a member of Cipher, Lovrina had probably had plenty of practice…

_Anakin, look out!_

I wasn't sure who had shouted at first, only slightly recognizing that it had been a telepathic cry. Anakin had gotten turned around in the confusion, and was now easy prey for Star. She was about to close her jaws on his spine, oblivious that he was her son, when a streak of orange threw itself in front of him, and Star's fangs found it instead.

"Ren!" My Fenniken had saved Anakin, but now dangled limply from Star's mouth. I was stunned with shock and grief, then saw that the soft glow from her body was not caused by tears. And as it strengthened, I realized Ren had begun to Evolve.

As Ren's form expanded and changed, Star was forced to drop her. Landing on her two hind paws, Ren now resembled a larger, bipedal version of her Fenniken self. Her muzzle, neck, arms, and chest had paled from yellow to white, while the fur on her legs had darkened to black. Because of the way her fur now flared out around the base of her neck and just above her legs, she almost appeared to be wearing a tunic of sorts. She dashed over to the stick I had dropped earlier and snapped off the end, tucking the 18-inch remainder into her tail. Then she charged back, drawing the stick out from her fur, and the end burst into flame.

She jammed the stick into Star's injured flank, and Star screeched in pain, shoving Ren back with unsheathed claws. Ren stumbled, and I saw her disappear as someone grabbed her Pokéball and recalled her. Then Michael loaded a Pokéball into the Snag Machine, which converted it into a Snag Ball instantly, and threw it as hard as he could at Star.

The Snag Ball didn't stand a chance. It shattered even before it reached her.

We stared at the shards, unable to comprehend this sudden situation. Emma, David, and Jake were speechless. Michael was as white as a sheet, and Lovrina looked like she might faint. I knew I wasn't any better. Now what would we do?


	8. Chapter 6: Melee

_**I'm open to suggestions about the path this story could take. For instance, I will accept ideas for Shifters, Pokémon, evildoers, etc. I can also stop commenting up here if you would like. However, I am **__**not**__** planning on killing anyone off.**_

**Cameron: Well, that's a relief.**

**Jake: Uh, Cameron? You might wanna get back in here before the author changes her mind.**

**(whispers in Cameron's ear)**

**Cameron: ….Point taken.**

Chapter Six: Melee

The answer came in the form of another sphere of energy from Cameron, this one slamming into Star's other flank before exploding. It seemed to snap Emma out of shock and spark an idea at the same time, because as she came out of her trance, she barked out a single command.

"Aaron! ATTACK!"

Aaron was Emma's Shiny Lucario, and her strongest Pokémon. He quickly rushed into battle with a Shadow Ball in his paws and pitched it at Star, missing by a few inches but close enough that it did some damage. It also made David realize that he could also help wear Star down to the point where she might be Snaggable, and soon his Shiny Absol, Luna, had joined the fray. Michael was still in shock from the failure of the Snag Ball to even reach Star, but Lovrina waved her hand in front of his face, and he snapped out of it, calling an order to his two Pokémon.

"Gene! Umber! I need you to help the others!"

The Umbreon and Eevee didn't hesitate to join the battle. Umber was powerful despite never having evolved, and she sped under Luna's paws, firing a Swift attack to counter Star's electricity. Meanwhile, Gene slunk behind as Star as silent as a shadow and rammed into her hindquarters, throwing her off balance and giving him time to sneak up from another angle. I was concerned because he was using Double Edge, but knew a Pokémon as experienced in battle as he was would know their limit.

There wasn't anything I could do at this point, except get ready to use a Super Potion on any Pokémon that got hurt fighting. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how bad Ren's wounds were, so the best place for her at the moment was inside her Pokéball. I wasn't sure why that was, but it had been drilled into me that if I found myself in a situation like this, and I had a Pokémon who was badly hurt, they had the best chance of recovery if they were in their Pokéball until I could get them to a Pokémon center.

Lovrina was standing still, unable to do more than watch, too. She must've only had Star with her. That was an idiotic choice. Michael had always carried at least two Pokémon other than the Shadows he was working with, just in case something like this happened. Even a Cipher member, in my opinion, should know to do the same. Then again, Cipher never really seemed to care much about the Pokémon they changed into Shadows, anyway.

Star was beginning to tire. She paused, panting, struggling to keep her legs from buckling. She was covered in scratches, and I knew that she would be nursing bruises after the battle. Tufts of fur dangled from her pelt, some of them bloody. I noticed that now that her energy was running low, she seemed to be more in control of herself, but something about the way she continued to watch her opponents suggested she was still in Reverse Mode. Of course, we had never encountered a Shadow that could shake it off on its own…..

However, the other Pokémon were running low on energy as well, and were just as torn up from the battle. Luna had a series of claw marks along her back, and she limped on three legs, her rear right leg dragging slightly. Smaller scratches covered her legs and flank, while blood dripped from a cut above her eye, the twin trails running along her nose and cheekbone before staining her snowy fur. Meanwhile, Aaron was blocking Star's claws from reaching Gene, who had stumbled from exhaustion. Gene wasn't as bad off when it came to scratches, though he had been slashed across the face. It looked like Star had managed to bite his tail at one point, but other than that, he was fine, if exhaustion wasn't counted. Aaron was taking the brunt of Star's blows, and his arms were sheathed in blood. Star had managed to claw him a couple of times anyway, but the thicker fur on his torso protected him from the worst of the damage he was taking.

I didn't see Umber at first, but then I realized she was digging her tiny nails into Star's shoulders. She seemed to be doing okay, yanking on a patch of Star's fur in an effort to distract her. One of her ears was torn, and there was a strip of fur missing from her back leg, but other than that she had no other visible wounds.

There was no doubt in my mind that the battle could not last much longer, and that we had to do something soon. I didn't think that Aaron could hold on much longer, and as I watched, Umber toppled off of Star's back. However, Star seemed to be too tired to notice. Luna and Gene had already staggered to the edge of the battlefield, and collapsed there to tend their wounds. I hurried over to them with a Super Potion and began spraying it on the worst of their injuries, though I could only do so much. I had lost track of Anakin during the melee, but as I was spraying the claw marks on Luna's back he bumped into my back, miraculously unharmed except for a small cut on his cheek. It wasn't bleeding much, and he was still a bit young to take normal Pokémon medicine, so I licked the tip of my finger and wiped away some of the blood before it could clot in his fur. I rubbed my hand against my jeans to clean it before the blood began to dry, then scratched Anakin behind his ear the way he liked for a moment before turning back to Luna.

Meanwhile, Michael must have reached the same conclusion as I had, because he loaded another Pokéball into the Snag Machine and pitched it at Star. This time, the Snag Ball not only made contact with her shoulder, but Star disappeared into it in a flash of light. Instant silence fell, and we watched as the Snag Ball rocked; once…..twice….

The Snag Ball met the same fate as its predecessor, exploding in a brilliant flash as Star broke free. Yet it was obvious that Star had just barely managed to escape, and that perhaps that next time, we would succeed.

However, just as Michael got ready to throw another Snag Ball, Star reared up again, her fur beginning to glow as it had before the massive Discharge attack that had sent trees crashing to the ground. Jake reacted first, grabbing Pokéballs from the table and recalling Pokémon as fast as he could. He tossed a couple of Pokéballs to Emma, and she called back Luna and Aaron, leaving Umber and Gene still out and at risk, until David, having also been recalling Pokémon, found their Pokéballs as well. I couldn't do anything for Anakin, so I grabbed him, hoping to shield him from the worst of the coming blast. Lovrina ducked behind a tree, though after seeing what Star had done last time, I questioned her sanity in making that choice. Actually, I was starting to question her sanity in general, but that was beside the point.

When Star let loose her attack, though, it wasn't Discharge, like I thought it would have been. Instead, the electricity arced away from her body in a massive Thunder attack.

And it was directed into the trees where Cameron had disappeared.


	9. Chapter 7: Cameron's Curse

_**I admit that this scene has become a bit lengthy, but this is the final piece. I was not intending for it to take this long, but chapters are finicky creatures, refusing to cooperate half the time. The next chapter is going to be a flashback; you'll see why. Perhaps you will have a clue why by the time you reach the bottom of the page. This may be it until after New Year's; we shall see how it goes.**_

Chapter Seven: Cameron's Curse

There wasn't time to call out a warning, telepathic or otherwise. But there was just barely enough for Cameron to throw up a barrier using his aura. We saw the blue flash among the trees, fading from view as the brightly glowing lightning bolt struck it. I could sense that the two forces were just about evenly matched, and I hoped that Cameron could hold out a little longer. He wouldn't be able to keep his shield up forever, especially since it would take all of his power to raise a defense against Star's high-leveled onslaught. Something was going to give, and I hoped Cameron could get out of the way before it did.

But my hopes were dashed as Cameron's shield flared up and shattered with the sound of breaking glass. A strangled cry reached my ears, and then broke off, leaving the air still and silent. A feeling of dread crept up my throat. Depending on how much of the attack's power had remained when Cameron's shield failed, he could have been knocked unconscious…or worse. And it seemed like such a small thing, but if he had lapsed into Riolu form, what would happen if Lovrina saw him? And there was still the final wild card that could come into play…..Especially depending on just how much energy Cameron had put into his shield. Somehow, I had a feeling it just might. The only question now was, to what extent?

Star staggered, and I realized that she had been weakened further by her latest attack. Michael chucked the Snag Ball, which scored a direct hit, and we watched as it rocked once…..twice…three times…and was still. The button flashed red for a moment, then returned to its normal color. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding as I gazed at the Pokéball lying harmlessly on the ground, a complete opposite to the tempest I knew it contained. I stepped towards it cautiously and picked it up with my good hand, and it seemed I could feel a trace of the power inside.

"We've….done it….." Emma whispered. " But…what about…." She trailed off, but her voice continued in my head, _I…can't hear him…_

_Cameron… _I thought. I couldn't sense him either, but whether he was unconscious or just choosing to ignore us I couldn't tell. I just hoped he hadn't been hurt too badly….

I handed Star's Pokéball to Michael, and turned to pick up Anakin—but he wasn't behind me any longer. I heard an angry squalling noise, and turned to see him struggling in Lovrina's arms. She grinned at me.

"Tell you what," she said. "You've got your Luxray back, so in return I'll take this one." She shifted Anakin in her arms as he continued to cry. "A trade. And don't worry, I'll make sure he's well-trained before he becomes a Shadow."

I felt my mouth drop open at her sentence. And then the rage hit. "You can't do that!" I shouted. "Are you freaking _insane?!_ You guys have screwed with his life enough already, and he's lucky not to be _dead!_ Hand over Anakin _right now!" _

I lunged at her, but Lovrina sidestepped easily and I tripped on a tree root. As I got to my feet, she pulled out another Pokéball at tossed it, releasing a Pidgeot that I didn't recognize, but that surely couldn't have originally been hers. Lovrina leapt gracefully onto its back, still holding Anakin. The Pidgeot spread his wings, preparing to take off, and I stood there, grinding my teeth at my frustration of not being able to _do _anything. Lovrina had waited until our strongest Pokémon were unable to stop her, and was going to spirit Anakin away without resistance. Had the whole thing just been a trap for Anakin, with Star as bait? We couldn't Shift without Lovrina seeing us, and even if we did, wouldn't we end up captured, too? Was this now a trap for us, with Anakin as bait? If only Star wasn't injured, then maybe she and I could have turned the tables, regardless of her hatred, but now…..

And then Anakin took things into his own paws. As Lovrina readjusted her grip on him in order to better grasp Pidgeot's feathers, he squirmed loose and turned to face her, balanced on Pidgeot's neck. Lovrina reached for him, and he growled at her, fur beginning to spark a little. Just as Lovrina was about to grab him, a tiny lightning bolt jumped from Anakin's fur and stung her on the nose. She yelped and flinched back, then reached for him again. Anakin bit her hand just before it touched his side, drawing blood. Lovrina screeched in pain, and as she was distracted Anakin tumbled off of Pidgeot's back, stumbling a little as he hit the ground. He ran back towards me, steadier on his feet than he had been this morning.

Lovrina slid off of Pidgeot, and within a few steps caught up to Anakin. She scooped him back up into her arms with a triumphant yell and was turning back to her Pidgeot when another Aura Sphere shot within inches of her face, causing her to cry out in alarm and drop him. This time, Anakin made it back to me, and I picked him up, hoping Lovrina wouldn't try to take him straight out of my arms.

But Lovrina didn't seem to be interested in stealing Anakin anymore. She leapt back onto Pidgeot, and made him turn until he was facing the direction Cameron most likely was hiding in. She tapped the bird's crest, and he opened his beak, giving us a good view of the glowing ball inside that was the beginning of a Hyper Beam. But just as Pidgeot was about to fire, Lovrina's eyes widened, and she tapped his crest again, causing him to dissipate the attack. She gripped an earpiece I hadn't seen before, and spoke into the microphone.

"What is it? I'm in the middle of something…" She blanched. "Yes…..I understand….Right away." Lovrina turned to look at me, and I saw the malice in her eyes. Her carefree manner was a ruse, hiding the cold, calculating personality underneath. I shivered. She was not someone I wanted to mess with again.

"You've gotten lucky. Something's come up. Take Seven Hundred, and that pathetic little furball you call a Shinx, and go. Next time, I won't go easy on you. And tell that _Aura Guardian_," Lovrina spat the words as if they were poison, "That next time, his tricks won't be enough to save him.

She pulled Pidgeot's head around, forcing him to prepare for takeoff. With a few strokes of his wings, Pidgeot took off and was gone; a speck in the sky, carrying Lovrina with him. I felt sorry Pidgeot wasn't a Shadow, as horrible as that seemed. But if he had been, we could have Snagged him too, though he probably would have been less willing to cooperate as a Shadow then as a normal Pidgeot.

I was relieved that Lovrina was gone, though, and set Anakin down, free to wander a little now that he was no longer threatened. But something about the fight had been bugging me. I replayed over the last few moments in my head, and then it hit me. The final Aura Sphere that Cameron had used. The edges had been ragged, the sphere less defined. Lovrina hadn't noticed, but on some subconscious level, I had. And it worried me. Even when in human form, drawing solely on his training, Cameron wasn't that sloppy. Whoever his mentor had been, they had drilled into him that perfection was key—the ability to summon any form of aural energy and have it well-defined was a huge asset, apparently, helping to boost the power of the aura and adapt it for any task. For Cameron to get so sloppy…..

"She's…gone….Thank Arceus…."

I spun around. Cameron staggered out from the bushes behind me, bruised and bloody. A four-inch splinter had driven itself into his left shoulder, probably a result of Star's raw power. He swayed on his feet before crumpling to the ground, and I rushed over to him, trying to figure out just how badly he was hurt.

_Cameron! _I shouted. But I couldn't hear his reply. "Cameron! Wake up!"

He opened his eyes and gazed at me, but his amber eyes were glassy and unfocused.

"Cameron! Are you all right?!"

"Stupid question…Kitt….." He mumbled. _I….._

Cameron's voice died the moment he fell unconscious. Jake, Emma, David, and Michael crowded behind me, as concerned for Cameron as I was. We watched in silence as his body glowed, weaker than it should have, and he slowly shrank into his Pokémon form. I was about to pick him up so we could get him to a Pokémon Center, but as my hand approached his body, I felt something shock me. I yanked my hand back, and watched as an aurora of pale blue surrounded him. My heart dropped; this was bad. This was really, really bad.

I spoke just two words, and we all knew what they meant. That if we didn't do something, Cameron would die.

"Aura Sickness."


	10. Chapter 8: Memory

_**This scene pretty much wrote itself after I watched Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. I knew Cameron had a weakness, but I hadn't figured out what. Then I thought…. What if he was an Aura Guardian whose weakness was that very trait? And then I needed a history for his curse…. Perhaps there was another who helped save the Tree of Beginning that day…though he could not do it alone.**_

_**And I don't think I mentioned it, but for those who are wondering, Cameron does bear resemblance to Sir Aaron; perhaps there is a story behind this? (If anyone is wondering about Jake's appearance, well, he looks a little like Jack Walker, the Ranger from Temple of the Sea, but keep in mind that he was genetically engineered, and his human DNA had to come from somewhere.)**_

_**Oh, and Kitt's Shifter form, for those who are curious, is Pikachu—but you didn't hear this from me, okay?**_

Chapter 8: Memory

_Aura Sickness…. Cameron's curse; his fatal weakness. An overusage of Aura, leaving his body weak and consuming itself to replenish its vital energy field. Usually, Riolu and Lucario had a high tolerance when it came to manipulating Aura, and were typically immune. Aura Guardians, too, so Cameron would have had a boosted immunity. But he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time…or perhaps the right place at the right time? I still remembered the day it happened; the chain of events seared into my memory….._

It had been after we had escaped the lab, Cameron dragging Jake by the arm. We had hidden in the woods for a few days, relying on our abilities and wits to survive while we contemplated where to disappear to for a while. Emma had suggested returning to the Hoenn region, figuring that since none of us originated from there it might be the last place the scientists would look. Cameron thought her logic was flawed, but unable to suggest a better idea, went along with the plan. After a few days of travel we reached Canalave City, and boarded a ferry bound for Hoenn. After arriving back in the Hoenn region, we began our trek away from the major cities, though not before registering Jake and Cameron as Trainers, figuring that if they were able to train Pokémon, it might help disguise their Shifter nature.

Emma had heard of an annual festival held in a small town relatively far away, and she convinced us to go, partially because she felt that it might be a cool experience for Jake, who had been cooped up all his life. We alternated between hiking and traveling by train, trying to avoid being exposed to humans while still making progress. We made it to the town of Rota just in time for the festival, managing to relax and have a good time for the first time in days. Jake was elated; sharing the experience with his very first Pokémon, a Taillow he nicknamed Swift. Cameron kept his guard up the whole time; unfortunately, he became bitter when he learned that the festival was in honor of a legend about a heroic Aura Guardian; the wounds of his shattered dream still raw. His new Ralts was equally quiet, perhaps sensing Cameron's mood, though he did try to cheer him up.

The trouble started that evening, during the ball and banquet celebrating the "Hero of the Year", a Trainer by the name of Ash, who had won a battle tournament. He was dressed like the Aura Guardian in the legend, a man named Sir Aaron. Ash was given a scepter that had belonged to Sir Aaron, and then told to strike a heroic pose. But when he did, the gem set in the scepter released a Lucario, who had been contained inside for hundreds of years. Cameron's face paled and he dashed from the room, and I followed, leaving the others behind.

I found him in a hidden room, trying to shake off a sudden urge to Shift. Apparently, he had heard a voice that no one else had, and when Ash asked about it, he realized that it actually existed, and was possibly a very powerful user of Aura. When Lucario had emerged, despite being blinded and confused, Cameron had had a powerful urge to pay his respect to this master of Aura…though not only as an apprentice to master, but also as a Riolu would acknowledge an elder of its clan. He had escaped in order to avoid Shifting in front of all the people present. He was afraid that he would lose control and expose us all, and that perhaps Lucario would recognize him for something he was not. Cameron was also ashamed of the way he had reacted, and the fact that he hadn't paid his respects to a more powerful Aura user as he had been taught to do. I told him that he had done what was right, and that it wouldn't be his fault if he Shifted, because his DNA had been tampered with, and it would be a long time before his body could adjust, so an involuntary Shift under stress was nothing to be ashamed of.

We decided to leave that night, so after meeting Emma, David, and Jake at the Pokémon Center to collect our things and return the costumes lent to us by the people in charge of the festival, we headed out, and just in time, because on the outskirts Cameron succumbed to the Shift he had been fighting. Moments later, he told us that there was a place we needed to go, though he didn't say why. We spent the rest of the night following him as he led us along a path only he could see. At dawn, we reached our destination: an ancient forest monarch known as the Tree of Beginning. Cameron led us up among the branches, to a cavern where ancient Pokémon were living in harmony. It was here that he Shifted back, unable to explain why we had come.

Time passed quickly as we explored, day giving way to night, than back again. But with the new day came trouble. The first signs were an uneasiness in the air, followed by sudden wariness of the ancient Pokémon who had begun to become friendly towards us, perhaps seeing us as Pokémon rather than humans; maybe because of our scent, and maybe because they watched as we changed forms throughout our exploration. We found ourselves confronted by Regice, Regirock, and Registeel in turn, before they decided that we were no threat, being part Pokémon and showing no signs of hostility towards the Tree or its occupants.

Then came the activation of the Tree's immune system. It was David who discovered the change; the crystal he had been examining flaring red instead of the clear blue it had been moments before. An orange blob rose up from the ground, taking the form of a Kabutops before advancing towards him. It caught David's hand in his, and its substance snaked along his wrist before he Shifted, hoping to slip away. To our surprise, it let go, and when he changed back to human form, it "tasted" him once again before leaving him alone. Two more blobs appeared and began to menace our little group, but after "tasting" the rest of us, all three vanished back into the ground.

At that point, it seemed the trouble was over, as the crystals suddenly shifted in color back to blue. But it was only the beginning. A tremor ran through the ground, than another, and the crystals turned black and crumbled. The ancient Pokémon fled, but some fell, turning to stone. A fissure appeared in the ground, widening as it spread, and pieces of the cavern began to fall, some disappearing into the fissure's depths. The Tree of Beginning was dying.

Next to me, Cameron stiffened. I felt his mind connect to mine, and to the others, and a voice echoed through the link.

_There's a way to save the tree….If we use the power of Aura?_

Cameron's eyes widened as he whispered the words, and he turned to face us.

"Join hands! Kitt, David! Place your hands on my shoulders, I'm gonna need my hands free! Hurry!"

I linked hands with Jake, while Emma took David's hand in hers. Cameron turned to face a large crystal formation jutting from the ground in front of us. I placed my right hand on Cameron's left shoulder; while David did the same on Cameron's other side. Cameron braced himself, then held out his hands, palms facing the crystal, and concentrated. A glowing ball of Aura appeared, engulfing the crystal. Cameron strained to hold the ball in place, and a ripple of energy raced across his form. I felt it pass along my arm, and gasped as it shot through my body on its way to Jake. I realized that Cameron was drawing on our own auras as well, hoping to gather enough power to slow the Tree's decline.

_The Aura….Is with me._

Another wave passed through the link, and I felt Jake Shift and let go of my hand, collapsing to the ground in Volteon form. Emma gasped, and I knew she had let go as well. Then David, and finally, I had to let go, my body weak and exhausted, as if I had run a marathon in under a minute. Cameron was struggling, but refused to give up. His form rippled with energy, and sweat dripped from his face, but he gritted his teeth and refused to back down.

_Cameron! _I heard Jake's voice in my head. He was trying to sit up, but was barely able to lift his head. _Cameron, stop! You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up! _

_ I….I can't give up! _Cameron's voice echoed through the link. _I….I have to do this! For everyone!_

_Stop, Cameron…..Please…. _

_We need you, you're one of us….._

_No! I…..I…..I need to….Everyone, don't you understand? This….this is why I came…._

_Cameron….Listen to them! _ I cried. _Everyone cares about you. We don't want you to sacrifice yourself. Don't you see? We've done what we can. Please, stop!_

Cameron winced, and a lone tear trickled down his cheek. _Everyone…_

Suddenly, he was thrown back by an invisible force; the globe of Aura flickering before it died, the last traces absorbed by the Tree. The voice from before cut in.

_Leave the rest of this to me!_

_No! _Cameron yelled. He struggled to get to his feet, but a bolt of energy passed over his body and he collapsed. We heard the voice again:

_The Aura is with me! _

A war cry echoed over the link, and then the voice fell silent. The Tree pulsed, once, and the crystals let out a beam of light, which struck the cavern ceiling high above us. The energy spread out from the spot the beam touched, healing whatever damage it covered.

_Lucario, hold on! You can't leave us yet! _

A new voice ran through my mind, as did an image. Another person had given their aura at the same time: Ash. And a Pokémon, the Lucario from the staff. The image fast-forwarded through the healing of the Tree, but it burned in my mind as if we had been there. The link held the others, too, and we watched as Lucario collapsed, brushing a Time Flower, a plant that could record the past. We watched as Sir Aaron left his final message, and as Lucario began to disappear as well. There were tears running down my cheeks, but I knew that there was nothing we could do.

_I have to go, Ash…._

The link had strengthened. Now, we could hear every word, and we watched as Ash held Lucario's paw, begging him to hold on. Somehow, though, I knew that Lucario was saying farewell to us, too.

_Aaron….is waiting for me…._

Lucario's voice trailed off, and through the link we saw his body slowly fade. A glowing orb remained, and it joined with a second before both orbs spiraled up and disappeared.

_Cameron…_

Lucario's voice came through one last time, and the link began to dissolve.

_Cameron…Thank you….The Aura is with you, young Shifter…_

And Lucario's spirit passed on.

I felt a surge of grief from Cameron. He hadn't met Lucario, but still mourned for the one who had given his life for the Tree of Beginning, and for him, too.

_Lucario…_

Cameron gasped in pain. Energy crackled along his body, and a blue haze surrounded him. He Shifted to Riolu form, unable to maintain human shape. Sparks began to shimmer in the haze, and Cameron turned ever-so-slightly transparent.

_No! _ Jake yelled.

_ Cameron! Hang on! _Emma and David's voices blended together in a cry of sorrow, for we knew he wouldn't last much longer.

_No… I'll…be fine… _ Cameron's eyes opened and he grinned slightly. _ This is….my fate…I….don't have…any regrets….Kitt…._

_Yes…..?_

_Thank you…for everything…..Tell the others…._ He broke off, taking a shuddering breath. _Tell them… I….I'm glad I knew them…_

Cameron passed out. We dragged ourselves closer, wanting to be with him in his final moments. And then, a miracle.

Mew suddenly appeared in front of us, and spoke.

_Your friend showed courage, and helped save my life and the Tree, and the Pokémon who lived here. _Indeed, the Pokémon who had turned to stone had been revived. _Lucario spoke the truth; The Aura is with him. I shall give him the gift of Life, for he does not deserve to die. May he use this gift to help all others in need._

A soft glow surrounded Mew, and she placed one hand on Cameron's forehead. The glow infused his body, and when it disappeared, Cameron was no longer fading, though the blue aurora was still present. Mew's voice echoed through my head again.

_I have done what I can. He will live, but he must take care. His Aura will not be as strong as it once was. I trust you to watch over him. The Aura is with you….all of you._

And she vanished.

_We stayed until Cameron was strong enough to leave. I knew that a part of him would remain here, grieving for Lucario, but that he would move on, and prove himself to Mew and to Lucario's spirit. All of us would, no matter what the future would bring. And though Cameron might not be as strong as he once was, he had us to rely on when things got tough. I think that was when he realized something. He had been given a second chance at life….so he could not only help others, but so he could continue his journey with us, and realize that he could pick up the shattered pieces of his dream and perhaps, find a way to still make it come true._


	11. Chapter 9: Race Against the Clock

_**Well, looks like I had time to add a couple chapters after all. Feel free to post a review and let me know what you think of this so far, especially the previous chapter. Feedback is helpful! Also, though only two features of the P**____**DA are mentioned here, the others are just as important.**_

Chapter 9: Race against the Clock

I reached towards Cameron again, expecting the shock this time as his body instinctively began drawing on my aura to restore its own. The pale aurora surrounding him faded a little, but was still visible to the naked eye. I didn't see any of the glimmering lights that signaled the possibility that this time the sickness could be fatal, but other than that, I couldn't tell how badly Cameron had strained his aura. Depending on how bad it was this time, it could take him a few hours to a couple of weeks to recover, and that was without an abundance of physical injuries. And I had a feeling that lingering too long could lead to more problems. Hunters had been seen a few towns away, and we didn't need them on our trail.

I slipped my good hand underneath Cameron's still form, trying to avoid touching the splinter that jutted like a spear from his shoulder, much larger in comparison to his body now that he had Shifted. I wasn't sure what it might have hit when it lodged itself there, and whether removing it would cause more problems than leaving it alone. I was about to try and lift Cameron so I could take some of his weight onto my injured arm, much as it would hurt, when I felt Emma touch me lightly on the shoulder.

"Let Jake take him. We're gonna have to get everyone to a Pokémon Center, and you need to change your shirt. It's torn and covered in blood. "

I gently pulled my arm out from under Cameron's body, backing off in order to let Jake change places with me. Anakin was sniffing at the splinter, and he looked up at me. _Why won't he wake up?_ He asked.

I didn't reply. If the situation had been different, I would have been celebrating the fact that Anakin had reached two milestones in less than a day—first attack and first full sentence. However, celebrating could wait until we reached the nearest town; hopefully without attracting too much unwanted attention.

Emma tossed me a shirt from one of the backpacks. It was of a rose hue and had medium-length sleeves—not the kind I'd typically wear, but I couldn't afford to be picky. I ducked behind the tree and pulled off the shirt I was wearing. The fabric stuck to the gashes left by Star's claws, and they began to bleed again as it came off. Emma came around the tree's trunk, carrying our first-aid kit. She pulled out a cotton pad and a length of bandage, pressing the pad against my shoulder and wrapping the bandage around it to keep it in place.

"It's a hasty job, but it should hold for now," she said, helping to pull my new shirt over the bandage. I nodded, and stood up, anxious to get going.

David was shoving food into assorted containers, while Michael packed up our camping equipment. Jake stood watching, holding Cameron's unconscious form in such a way as to avoid aggravating the worst of his wounds. There was a faint sparking around him—the transfer of Aura. I knew that we didn't have much time, and that getting our gear gathered up and packed away could take a while, so we were going to have to split up.

"Where's the nearest town?" I asked. David paused, thinking.

"That would be…..Camphrier Town, to the southwest. It's not that far from here, maybe fifteen minutes or so walking. " _At least, for a normal human. _

Meaning a little more than a five minute sprint for one of us. "Right…."I pondered this for a second. "Okay. Michael and David, I want you to stay here and pack up. Meet us at the Pokémon Center in Camphrier." They nodded.

Michael handed me a drawstring bag. "I put all of the Pokéballs with injured Pokémon in here. You're going to be running, and you don't need anyone vanishing on you." I handed it off to Emma, who slung it over her shoulders.

"I…thought you should know…." He added, "I put Star's Pokéball in there, too. She'll need to be treated, but….keep an eye on her, okay?" Michael didn't need to say more. He handed me the backpack Emma had designed that I could carry Anakin in, along with a small case, which rattled as it exchanged hands. "I packed a couple of Cologne scents in here. It might help snap Star out of whatever's affecting her."

I settled the backpack on my shoulders. Michael caught Anakin as he wandered past and tucked him in the backpack. I winced at the weight on my shoulder, glad for once that Anakin was so small. I hoped my injuries wouldn't worsen, but I was more concerned for Cameron and our Pokémon than for myself.

"Thanks, Michael. I'll email you when we get there." Michael's P DA came in handy with that email function. Of course, Cameron had had to take it apart to figure out how to rig a similar system, and that had led to a very unpleasant incident involving numerous Cascoon, a spatula, and a TV remote, but in the long run, it made communicating in an emergency much easier. And Cameron had managed to put it back together without too many issues, though the tendency of the Spot Monitor to go off despite being _nowhere near_ the Orre region was still annoying, especially as Cameron seemed to have locked the volume on 'high'.

I took one last look at our campsite. David was working on collapsing the table, and Michael jogged over to help him. I found it hard to believe that not even an hour ago, we had been about to enjoy lunch before continuing our hunt for Cipher. And now…

Emma had found a trail, a small sign indicating it led to Camphrier Town. Jake was already out of sight, but I knew he would be taking care to avoid injuring Cameron further while still hurrying to reach the Pokémon Center as fast as he could. Without looking back, I jogged onto the path, gradually increasing my pace until I was running. Anakin shifted in the backpack, adjusting to my speed.

We were on our way. Hopefully, we'd make it to Camphrier Town in time.


	12. Chapter 10: The Secret's Out

_**I realized that there's a mistake in an earlier chapter. During the flashback, Emma mentioned that they should hide out in Hoenn, because no one originated from that region. This is somewhat true. Kitt came from Kanto, and her Pokemon form is Pikachu, despite the strange coloring (though it's possible she was born in the Orange Islands, as many pokemon who live there are variants of Kanto Pokemon. David was born and raised in Sinnoh, and his Pokemon form reflects that. Based on this, one could assume that Emma, as the third Natural Shifter in the group—Cameron and Michael are technically Altered Shifters, while Jake is in a classification of his own because of his origin—would have come from Kanto as well. Perhaps she was born in Kanto, before moving to Hoenn at a young age. If the scientists at the Lab were deciding where to search based on Pokemon form, Hoenn wouldn't seem logical because none of the group Shift into Hoenn Pokmeon. (Cameron IS actually from Sinnoh, but remember, he's not a Natural Shifter.)**_

Chapter 10: The Secret's Out

Seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as I ran; the only sound the pounding of my footsteps. The bird Pokémon had fallen silent, having most likely fled. Up ahead, I could catch glimpses of Emma through the trees, and the occasional flash of pale yellow, which I knew must be Jake. My shoulder throbbed in time with my steps, and I could feel the bandage slipping. _I hope Emma doesn't mind if I get a little bit of blood on this…._

Anakin, thankfully, was still. In fact, he might've fallen asleep. I couldn't blame him. He must've been worn out from his first real battle. It was another milestone that we would have to celebrate, if we got the chance.

The trees started thinning, the path widening, and ahead, I began to see glimpses of a stone wall, and beyond that, buildings. The path suddenly changed from dirt to cobblestone, and I almost tripped over one protruding rock. Jake and Emma were already at the gate, and as I cleared the last of the trees, they headed into town. I followed, and we headed towards a building with the familiar red roof of a Pokémon Center. I noticed in the background sounds of construction, and I wondered what that was all about as I stepped through the automatic doors of the Center.

Jake and Emma stood by the reception desk, Jake impatiently ringing the small bell kept there so Trainers could summon Nurse Joy. An Audino poked its head from around a door to one of the rooms, then ducked back inside, calling for someone. By the time I got to the desk as well, Nurse Joy was standing behind it, waiting to hear why she was needed.

"I take it your Pokémon need to be treated? "She asked, glancing from me to Emma and Jake, who was still holding Cameron. I felt Anakin shift in my backpack and winced at the sudden stab in my shoulder.

"Yes. We were ambushed earlier by a high-level Pokémon, and several of ours were injured." Emma replied. I knew she was being careful not to say too much. "A couple were hurt pretty badly, and though we did what we could, we knew they'd need professional care. Can we stay for a few days while they recover? Oh, and we have a couple friends on their way—they had to stay behind and break camp."

Nurse Joy's face softened. She nodded. "We have a couple of spare rooms left. I'll have Audino show you while Chansey helps me with your Pokémon." A Chansey waddled up with a stretcher, and Jake carefully placed Cameron on it. Emma unslung her backpack, pulling out the Pokéballs that contained our other injured Pokémon.

The Audino ran in carrying one of the trays used for carrying Pokéballs, and Emma placed the Pokéballs containing Aaron, Luna, Umber, Gene, and Ren on it. After a moment's hesitation, she added Star's Pokéball as well.

"Um…Nurse Joy….there's something you need to know about this one," I said, lightly touching Star's Pokéball. "I don't know if you've heard about the Shadow Pokémon outbreak, but….this Luxray is one of them, and a very high-leveled Shadow at that. She's the one who ambushed us…and she's currently very aggressive." I didn't say why. From the way Nurse Joy had focused on me as I said "Shadow Pokemon", I knew that she had dealt with them before, and it hadn't been easy. "Be careful. Though my friend said these would help," I added, handing her the Cologne case. "He's dealt with Shadows before."

"Hey! Wait a second!" Jake was trying to get the attention of Chansey, who had begun wheeling Cameron away. Chansey turned and frowned; Jake was getting in her way.

"Listen," Jake said, and I suddenly realized that Nurse Joy had turned her attention to the scene. I mentally facepalmed. Things looked like they were going to be going downhill. The Audino whisked the tray of Pokéballs away to a back room, where I knew that the initial examination of our Pokémon's injuries would begin. I've been locked in Pokémon form before, and knew from experience how an injured Pokémon was cared for.

"Please, just listen to me!" Jake began again. Chansey promptly ran over his foot with the stretcher, eliciting a soft curse from Jake and a disapproving glance from Nurse Joy. "It's about that Riolu…. I know he's in bad shape, but he'll start panicking if he wakes up in one of those intensive care units; he needs to wake up in a normal bed! The last time he regained consciousness in an IC unit he completely freaked out." I winced; that had been a nasty little surprise. It was a good thing that the Nurse Joy there had had a similar case the week before.

Chansey managed to maneuver Cameron's stretcher around Jake, but not before running over his other foot. I wondered if that had been an accident—then again, probably not. Jake watched her disappear into the IC ward. There was a moment of silence, and then Nurse Joy asked a question that I had hoped wouldn't come up. "I'll see what I can do….but why does this Riolu need to rest in a bed, instead of an IC unit? Surely he'd recover faster in one."

I shut my eyes, trying to think up a way to phrase an answer. Then I heard a gasp. My eyes flew open to see Nurse Joy swaying on her feet, eyes wide and face pale. Emma jumped over the desk to catch her before she fell, and I spun around, looking for whatever threat had followed us here. All I saw was… "_Jake, you IDIOT!" _

Jake had partially Shifted, a talent unique to him. His ears now knifed through his hair, twitching slightly as his hearing increased to radar-like sharpness. He hadn't Shifted enough for his tail to be visible, but when he placed his hands on the desk I could see that near-transparent webbing connected his fingers at the first joint, and his nails had changed into dull claws.

I was shocked that Jake had exposed what he was…..and then the doors chimed.

Emma reacted before I could do anything. She vaulted back over the desk and grabbed Jake by one furry ear, hauling him towards the waiting area. Jake was protesting at Emma's harsh treatment of his ear, while she was busy muttering curses under her breath. David and Michael were frozen in the doorway, identical expressions of "Oh, _crap"_ on their faces. I saw Jake pull back, Shifting to full human form and hurrying away, only for Emma to begin chasing him around the lobby. He yelped and Shifted again, diving under a couch with a scrabble of claws.

I turned back to Nurse Joy, who thankfully had not collapsed when Emma went after Jake. Her face had regained some of her color, though I thought that she still looked pale. "I take it that the Riolu…is like him? " She asked, waving towards the lobby, where Emma sat glaring at the offending piece of furniture. "Are you all like that?"

I lowered my head, unable to meet her gaze.

The secret was out.


	13. Chapter 11: A Surprise of our Own

_**Yeah, I know: Another short chapter. Sorry, but the next one might be like that as well. I was planning on using this chapter to explain the Natural/Altered Shifter concept I mentioned last time, as well as introduce some new characters and upcoming events (hint, hint), but it will probably happen in the next two chapters. Also, there IS a sort of "Shifter Network" for passing information, so that should clear up any questions you might have by the end of this Chapter. On a side note, Happy New Year!**_

**Emma: Has anyone seen Jake recently? David mentioned seeing him come up here, but I don't see him.**

**David: Well, he's not in the kitchen.**

**Michael: David, shouldn't YOU be in the kitchen at the moment?**

**David: Michael, nothings gonna happen, I'll only be up here for a mi—**

**( Explosion. David's face goes pale.)**

**David: Oh, **_**Sh—**_

**(David sprints away, followed by Michael and Emma)**

Chapter 11: A Surprise of our Own

_Well, this is just great,_ I thought_. How long do we have now? We can't disappear now, not with Cameron in this state, and our Pokémon injured. How long until the Hunters find us? _

We'd dodged Hunters before while injured and sick, but never when Cameron was afflicted with Aura Sickness this badly. And our Pokémon were vulnerable, too—most rare or non-native Pokémon fetched a high price on the black market, Shinies even more so, and Michael was pretty sure that a Shadow would be worth even more than that. And that was just the risk from those who were in it for the money. Some Hunters liked to capture Pokémon just to see the Trainer's despair. There were even rumors, terrible rumors passed from Shifter to Shifter, of someone who had perfected a method to lock us in Pokémon form permanently. Needless to say, Hunters who captured Shifters with strange forms, like Jake and Michael and I, and then trapped us in Pokémon form, would no doubt sell us for a high price, claiming us to be unusual Pokémon. And there'd be no way to prove otherwise.

David's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" There was a new edge in his question. With the exception of Michael, Cameron, and Jake, we had learned at a young age to hide what we were, and to do whatever it took to protect ourselves. We were wary of humans, though we did our best to blend in. And now that Nurse Joy had found out, something had to happen, but what?

To our surprise, Nurse Joy just laughed. "No, I won't tell anyone." She said. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but it's been a couple years since the last Pokémorph dropped in, and I wasn't expecting to see any others, especially someone like him." She pointed to Jake, who had been hauled out from under the couch by the tail. "I've never met a Pokémorph who could transform partway."

_If only she knew why I could do that. I wonder how she'd react…._ Jake mused, hanging upside-down from Emma's hand.

_You might be projecting your thoughts a little loosely, _I sent back_. I can hear you. Hopefully Nurse Joy can't._

_Oops. Hey, Emma, could you let go of my tail? This is starting to hurt._

Emma let go of Jake, and he landed with the usual grace of an Eevee kit—In other words, he fell flat on his face.

"I thought you were working on your landings," Emma said, looking at the undignified heap of fur.

_I am. Needless to say, I'm not perfect at it yet._ Jake got to his feet and stretched, then Shifted back to a hybrid form, this time including his tail. He grinned at Emma's scowl, then transformed back into his fully human self. Nurse Joy's eyes widened again.

"You'll get used to it….I think." I told her. We suspected Jake could take any form from the Shifting process, but he preferred to use only four: either fully Shifted, or the two Hybrid forms Nurse Joy had seen. Even Jake wasn't sure why he could use multiple forms, and we hadn't thought to take any of the lab's research papers when we escaped. I guess we'd never know.

"Okay, freak show's over," Jake announced, picking at a dust bunny clinging to him. It was an odd thing to blurt out, but I guessed he was trying to lighten the mood. "Nurse Joy, could you please consider my request, now that you know what we are? I'd ask Chansey, but she doesn't seem to like me."

"Of course. I'll make sure the Riolu Pokémorph wakes up in a comfortable environment. Tell me, though, why will he panic? I've met only one other Pokémorph, a Swellow, and he was very secretive about his past. He told me, though, that I would eventually meet a group of Pokémorphs who called themselves "Shifters", who would tell me more about why Pokémorphs are like that. If there are more of you, why don't we know it?"

_He must've had a Xatu in his family tree._ I thought. Emma must've picked up on it, because she snickered. It was possible, though. We didn't know how the Shifter gene passed on, but sometimes abilities such as seeing the future did, and we had heard that a couple's offspring may have a different Pokémon form than their parents.

I was about to speak when a bell chimed. Nurse Joy held up a finger. "One moment. This will have to wait. Chansey has completed the initial examination of your Pokémon's injuries. We can talk after I tend to their wounds." She disappeared into the same room Audino had, leaving me—and everyone else—more than a little confused.


	14. Chapter 12: New Friends and Foes

_**Wow, this took longer than I thought. So, looks like the gang has gotten a lucky break for once. I wonder how long that'll last…**_

_**I had a great idea for a side-fic, so I plan to work on it as well, which may lead to more infrequent updates. I hope you're enjoying this story so far, and feel free to comment. **_

**(Emma, David, Jake, Kitt, and Michael observing aftermath of explosion)**

**Emma: David, what were you DOING?! You know you can't cook!**

**David: Well, considering I wasn't making anything fancy and Michael was double-checking the recipe, I thought it'd be okay!**

**Michael: Well actually, you kinda roped me into that, then afterwards told me I could leave, because you said nothing would happen.**

**Kitt: David, what were you even making?**

**Jake: Well, based on the splatters and this pile of scorched mush, I'd say it was….**

**David:….Ramen noodles.**

**Jake: The microwaveable kind.**

**Kitt: **_**Ramen Noodles!? That's IT!?**_** It looks like that time you tried to make that really fancy noodle dish and chocolate éclairs for dessert!**

**David: Well, I guess the two are more closely related than one might think.**

**Michael: Considering you followed the directions, I still don't understand how this could've happened.**

**David: Who knows? My only concern is, how am I supposed to explain the mess? Considering that I'm pretty sure this stuff stains….. **

**Emma: You idiot.**

**Kitt: David, just do your best to clean it up. We'll help get the stains out….Hey! Anakin, don't eat that!**

**David: (grumbles) Well, at least SOMEBODY appreciates my cooking…**

Chapter 12: New Friends and Foes

"So... I guess we're safe?" David asked. I noticed for the first time since he walked in all the camping gear piled around him. He must've dropped it upon witnessing Jake's little "stunt". Michael had a similar pile around his feet, including our backpacks. It was a wonder that the two of them had hauled our stuff this far this fast, especially since it had only been the two of them.

"Looks like it. For now." Emma replied, answering for me. She glanced at my shirt again and gasped. "Kitt! You're bleeding again!"

I looked down to see a ruby stain against the pale fabric. "Looks like the bandage slipped. Sorry about your shirt, Emma."

"It's fine. Yours was shredded, and the blood should come out after I wash it," she replied, ringing the bell that Jake had pounded on earlier. Audino peeked out of the examination room.

"Excuse me," Emma called, "Nurse Joy said there were still a couple rooms open?"

Audino nodded, and after JAKE AND Emma took their share of the gear, led us up a flight of stair to the second floor. Since the layout of most Pokémon center were the same, it was safe to assume that the rooms were up here, while the clinic and café were downstairs. We stopped at room #4, where Audino pointed at Emma before giving me a key. The message was clear: this was to be our room. The guys were handed a key to the room across the hall before Audino headed back downstairs.

I stuck the key in the lock and opened the door to our room. The furnishings were simple, but comfortable: Twin bunk beds, a desk with a computer, a dresser, a minifridge, and a rug in the middle of the room. I assumed the fridge was there for anything that had to be kept cold; from leftovers to the secret ingredient to a poffin recipe. You never could tell what some trainers would need to store.

Emma dumped our stuff on one of the spare beds before helping me to get Anakin's backpack off my shoulder. She set Anakin on the bed, and he immediately hopped off and began rolling around on the rug, stopping to knead it or chew on the edge. A faint, uneven purr rumbled in his throat. I heard Emma begin sorting through our bags as I headed into the bathroom, since I now had a chance to see how badly Star had clawed me. Also, I figured that I had a better chance of getting the stains out of my borrowed shirt the faster I got on that.

Pulling the shirt off one-handed was a little tricky, but I managed, and as I slipped my arm out of the sleeve the bandage Emma had hastily ties fell off as well, and I got a good look at my injury in the mirror.

Star's claws had left three diagonal slashes from my shoulder blade to just above my heart, one claw catching my arm. While the latter was little more than a scratch, the other wounds were deeper, wide at the top but narrowing the further down they went. For the most part, they had stopped bleeding, already mostly scabbed over, in part because of the faster healing granted by my DNA, and partly because Emma had managed to get a bandage on so quickly. If the slashes had been deeper, I probably would've needed stitches. As it was, they would take a couple weeks to heal, and the scars a couple months at least to fade. I grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed at the claw marks that were still bleeding a bit, meanwhile putting the stopper in the sink and filling it with cold water. I dropped the shirt in to soak, hoping the stains would come out.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door, and I opened it far enough that Emma could reach in and drop some stuff on the counter. It turned out to be a tube of Neosporin, some of those ridiculously large Band-Aids, another cotton pad and bandages, and one of my t-shirts, this one forest green. I managed to apply the Neosporin to my wounds, as well as one of the huge Band-Aids to the claw mark on my arm, but after a few minutes of ineffectively struggling with the bandages Emma decided to help out before I made my injuries worse or somehow managed to strangle myself. Since we were in no hurry to get anywhere she managed to tie the cotton pad on securely this time before I pulled my T-shirt on. She also grabbed her shirt from the sink, saying that it had soaked long enough and that the blood should come out. She left the torn shirt in the sink, apparently believing it salvageable. I wasn't so sure, but if anyone could repair it, it was Emma.

After unhooking Anakin's claws from the rug, Emma and I headed back down to the lobby, Anakin trailing behind us. The guys were already downstairs waiting, and Anakin wandered around as we began discussing possible plans for the near future. We had just about reached a decision when…..

_YAAAAAAAAH! GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!_

Anakin came charging back towards us, yelling at the top of his telepathic lungs. As for his regular lungs, he was screeching at the top of those, too. He had made it about halfway when a blur came up from behind and tackled him. The blob of fur skidded across the floor before coming to a stop at Michael's feet, where it turned into two Shinx. The smaller one, obviously, was Anakin. The other was a female about his age, currently sprawled on top of him. She seemed happy to have found a playmate, albeit an unwilling one.

Anakin squirmed out from under the other Shinx, scrambling over to me and hiding behind my legs. The other Shinx ran over too, seeming to think this part of the game. She snuck up behind Anakin, pouncing on his tailtip. With a yelp, Anakin raced up the nearest tall object, which happened to be me, not stopping until he was perched on my head, shivering. I felt his tiny claws dig into my scalp, and winced. He also seemed to have left some holes in my skin as he climbed up my back.

I thought than the female Shinx would lay off the pursuit and leave Anakin alone now, and obviously he thought so as well. He didn't see the mischievous gleam in her eyes. She had a feline grin on her face as she formed an electrical charge around her paws, and to my shock and Anakin's horror_, began to walk on the air_, almost as if climbing steps. When she was nose-to-nose with Anakin she let out a happy squeak, causing him to bury his face in my hair in dismay.

Nurse Joy came out of the Examination room, seemingly unconcerned about the flying Shinx currently terrorizing my Pokémon. "I see you've met Thunder, then," she said, ruffling the Shinx's ears. Thunder gave a small purr, before crying out in surprise as she suddenly fell. I managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Thunder immediately began snuggling in my arms, while Anakin let out a tiny hiss. I got the feeling he didn't like her much. The again, I couldn't blame him.

"Thunder?" Emma asked, while at the same time David said, "What's a Shinx doing here?"

"Thunder is the only name she responds to, so that's what I call her." Nurse Joy replied. "As for why she's here, I don't know. Thunder just showed up one day in the rain about a week ago, crying to be let in. So I took her in, dried her off, and let her stay. I believe she may have been abandoned by her Trainer."

"Abandoned? Why would you say that?" Jake asked.

"Well, the best evidence I have so far is that no one has come looking for a missing Shinx. They aren't native to this region, and a Shinx cannot normally learn Magnet Rise, the attack Thunder just used to freak out your Shinx." Nurse Joy let Anakin sniff her hand before scratching behind his ear. "I believe that Thunder was hatched by someone who didn't want her, and that they left her outside the Pokémon Center hoping someone would take her in. So far, there hasn't been a single trainer interested. I think, based on your Shinx's reaction, she likes to unnerve the Pokémon of Trainers she doesn't like in order to avoid leaving. I wonder if she's waiting for someone in particular."

I put Thunder down before pulling Anakin off my head. Doing so bothered my slashes, but not as much as before, so I knew they were healing. I put Anakin down as well, and he growled at Thunder before running to hide behind Jake. Thunder sat down and watched him. After a few minutes Anakin came out and allowed Thunder to touch noses with him, but after that he growled when she came too close.

"So how are our Pokémon doing?" I asked. Though the drama between Anakin and Thunder—as well as Jake's stupidity—had provided a bit of a distraction, I was still worried about them, especially Ren. But my main concern was how Cameron was doing. "How's our friend doing, as well?"

"He's still unconscious, though he should wake up soon, either tonight or tomorrow morning. You'll have to make sure he takes it easy, though. I don't know what's afflicting him, but I do know from experience that overdoing it while you recover from a disease will increase the likelihood of a relapse. I don't think your friend will want to spend any more time here than he has to."

That was for sure, especially with the Hunters so close. There was a chance they weren't after us and would dismiss us as ordinary Trainers, but I knew no one in our group wanted to take that risk unless we had to.

"As for your Pokémon," Nurse Joy continued, " They'll be fine in a few days. Your Eevee should be fine by tonight, and the Umbreon will most likely be able to leave tomorrow morning, though I'd advise you to keep his face wound clean. It didn't need stitches, but may scar if it gets infected. It should be healed in a few days."

"That's a relief." Michael said. Nurse Joy looked at him. "Those two are mine. I was worried about them."

"How's my Lucario doing?" Emma asked. "Aaron took a lot of damage defending Michael's Umbreon."

"And Luna," David added. "She was in pretty bad shape last time I saw her."

"They need to stay a few days, especially your Absol. I had to stitch the slashes on her back, and she pulled a muscle in her hind leg, but she'll recover. Your Lucario received stitches as well, though only on his arms. He's lucky that he was able to keep that Shadow away from him, or his wounds would have been much worse."

"How'd you know he had to hold Star back?" Emma gasped.

"His arms bore several claw marks, but remarkably, most of the rest of his body was uninjured." Nurse Joy replied. "Your Lucario's wounds were typical of a Pokémon holding an attacker at bay. By the way, which one of you is the Braixen's Trainer?"

"I am," I said. "Will Ren be all right?"

"Ren will be fine." Nurse Joy told me. "Her wounds are not that severe. Though I'd recommend that she should take it easy for a few days, especially if you want to enter her the Contest coming up."

"There's a Contest!? But I thought that Kalos didn't hold Contests!"

_Here we go again._ Out of all of us, Emma was the one who was into Contests, hoping to be a Top Coordinator someday. She already had a fair number of Ribbons, proof of her skill. The rest of us weren't as into contests as Emma was, though I enjoyed them and had a few Ribbons of my own. The guys participated on occasion, so they had a smattering of Ribbons among them as well, but I was sure Michael had never entered. David and I preferred Gym battles, while Jake didn't care either way and Cameron had little interest in either. Michael was always busy with his Shadows, and Orre didn't have any Gyms, so I really didn't know if he'd ever tried earning a Badge.

"The Kalos region does have Contests, though this is only the second time Camphrier town has hosted one. If you'd like, I can register you and your friends, though it will be a week yet before the Contest starts."

"I hate to interrupt, Nurse Joy," Michael suddenly said, "But you still haven't told us about the Luxray that we brought in as well. How is she doing?"

"The Shadow Luxray is doing well. The Cologne that your friend brought calmed her down, and I was able to tend to her injuries. She'll be fine. I take it she's your Pokémon?"

"No, Star belongs to Kitt." Michael replied. "I had to Snag her, though, so I guess I'm her Trainer temporarily. As soon as she's Purified I'll give her back."

Nurse Joy looked a little confused, so we had to introduce ourselves at that point. I guess there were times when not knowing who was who could be an issue, especially when a group of injured Pokémon had several different Trainers.

"Kitt, where's Anakin?" Jake asked. I glanced around, realizing with horror that I couldn't find him. Even Thunder seemed to realize that he was gone, snuffling around the room looking for her playmate. She headed towards the automatic door, ignoring objects in her path, nose still glued firmly to the ground.

"I'll follow Thunder. You guys check around here. Anakin can't have gone far; he must've snuck outside to hide." I headed outside in time to see Thunder's tail disappear into a hedge. Glancing around first to make sure the coast was clear, I Shifted and followed her into the bush.

It wasn't hard to follow Thunder no that I was as small as she was, and had senses much stronger than when I was human. I could hear her paw steps up ahead, and I soon picked up her scent, and Anakin's too, which made following a trail much easier. As a Pikachu, I was able to slip through gaps in the hedge that were too small for a human, and it wasn't long before I found Anakin.

There was a small flower garden where the bushes ended, and among the flowerbeds was a bench where one could take a break from their travels. Another Trainer was already there, Anakin purring happily in her lap. I was surprised; I'd never seen him act this way. A scruffy-looking Umbreon with pale green rings was curled up on the bench as well, apparently dozing in the warm afternoon light.

I suddenly realized why Anakin was so friendly with this Trainer. We had run into her soon after Michael became a Shifter, though we hadn't seen her since. She was about five years older than us, with hair almost the same shade as Emma's and blue eyes, and she was currently wearing capris in addition to her tank top and jacket. She had swapped the boots she had been wearing when we last met for sneakers, and I wondered if she had come to participate in the upcoming contest, or if another Shadow was nearby. Rui seemed amused by Anakin's presence; perhaps she was remembering a group of teens with a Shinx Egg, and wondering if the Egg had hatched.

Thunder trotted up to Rui, and she laughed as Anakin hissed and turned away. The Umbreon lifted his head to glare at the two Shinx before closing his eyes again. Along with his odd-colored rings, the Umbreon's eyes were of a strange golden hue, a few shades different from Cameron's amber eyes. I knew there was more to him than what most people saw.

I was about to leave the hedge when I caught a strange scent on the wind. Anakin and Thunder smelled it as well, huddling closer to Rui, and the Umbreon raised his head and growled, the rings on his body beginning to glow. A group of people approached the bench, and if it wasn't for the fact that one of them smelled like a Cipher agent I would've had to stuff a hand-paw in my mouth to keep myself from cracking up.

Three of them were dressed in tight-fitting formal suits despite the warm weather. The suits themselves were well-kept, ironed to perfection….and bright, Magcargo red. In addition, they wore fancy ties and gloves, dress shoes, and an oversized belt buckle with a symbol on it that looked like the offspring of a flame and the letter F. It was a wonder they could see, because each of them wore large, opaque sunglasses the same shade as their suits. Even their hair looked hilarious: the two men had it slicked down except for a tuft on the right, where it was styled to look like a Charmander's tailtip. The woman had her hair pulled into two pigtails above her ears, and stylized just like the men. I suspected that her hair was slicked down as well. All three of them had dyed it to match their outfits.

_I wonder how anyone can take them seriously. Then again…_

The fourth member of the group was the one who smelled of Cipher. She must've been the leader of the group as well. If past encounters with members of other evil organizations and their fashion senses were anything to go by, then she was an Admin or some sort of Higher-Up. Her outfit was a cross between a dress and the suits the grunts wore, the skirt portion stiffly starched so it stuck out almost horizontally from her body. She wore thigh-length yellow socks and platform boots of the same shade as her outfit, again Magcargo red. The woman's orange hair was cropped short in a style reminiscent of a Galactic Grunt's, though it was slicked down to her head. I couldn't see her eyes; they were hidden behind some sort of visor.

The squad of strangely-dressed people quickly surrounded Rui, who seemed unconcerned with their threatening attitude. Perhaps it was because, like me, she was trying not to laugh. Then the Admin stepped closer, looked down at Rui, and told her to hand over any and all Pokémon she had, including Anakin, Thunder, and the Umbreon. Rui refused, saying that the Shinx were not hers, the Umbreon belonged to no one, and even if they were, she wouldn't give them up. This seemed to really tick off the Admin, who ordered the grunts to back off. She leaned down and put her face close to Rui's, whispering what I assumed was a threat. Then she backed off and drew out a Pokéball.

Rui's own fingers dropped to her waist, and she removed one of her Pokéballs from her belt. I could tell the situation was going to get ugly, especially from the reaction of the Pokémon. Placing Anakin on the bench, she stood, and released her Pokémon, a Dragonair of a soft violet hue with orbs of a darker shade—not a Shiny, but not a normal Dragonair, either. The Admin released her Pokémon as well, a Mightyena who looked ready for battle. Without warning, it attacked, charging at Rui's Dragonair with the intent of sinking its fangs in her throat.

However, Mightyena was unable to complete the attack, bouncing off of a barrier summoned by Dragonair. When the Protect attack faded, Rui had Dragonair use Ice Beam, freezing Mightyena in its tracks. A Thunderbolt rapidly finished the battle.

The Admin looked stunned for a minute, then drew two more Pokéballs from her pockets. A Beartic and a Leafeon quickly made an appearance, and I saw Rui's eyes widen.

_More Shadows! How many are here!?_


	15. Chapter 13: Shadows of Past and Future

_**It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize; I've been busy lately and I had a couple more ideas for fics, so I'll be doing my best to split my time between all my projects—speaking of which, I could upload the first two chapters of one of them soon; the other still needs some work. **_

**Cameron (In Riolu form): So this is where everyone's been hanging out…..**

_**Ack! What're YOU doing up here?! You're unconscious!**_

__**Cameron (shrugs): Dunno. I just—Oh no! No, no, no, no…**

**(Cameron runs away, chased by a Chansey with a frying pan in one paw, a bottle of Superglue in the other, and a Spinarak on her head.)**

…_**.Please tell me that didn't happened.**_

**Rui: Okay. That didn't happen. Cameron did not just appear here in Riolu form and attempt to start a conversation, and is not running from by a Chansey with a frying pan in one paw, a bottle of Superglue in the other, and a Spinarak on her head.**

_**Thanks…I think.**_

**Rui: No problem. I really should come up here more often—if only to die laughing every time.**

_**You're really not helping. And where'd the Chansey come from anyway?**_

**Rui (shrugs): Who knows? All I know is…..You GOTTA be kidding…**

**(Chansey returns with a pogo stick, a table lamp, and a Zigzagoon on her head and begins chasing Rui.)**

_**Um…..Oh-Kaaay…..Whoever hijacked this section, can I have it back now….?**_

Chapter 13: Shadows of the Past and Future

The Umbreon leapt off the bench and took off, tearing through the hedge inches from where I crouched. Knowing that Anakin and Thunder were now at risk, I charged out of the hedge, jumping up onto the bench, electricity sparking from my cheeks. It was a warning—if any of the grunts tried to grab either of the two Shinx, I'd fry them. They backed off further, except for one, who came closer, perhaps trying to catch such an unusual Pikachu. I zapped him with Thunder, and he fell to the ground unconscious. The other two grunts grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him away, muddying his suit in the process. I figured they'd stay back after that. Unless they came back with rubber gloves, in which case I might have a problem, being unable to Shift without exposing my secret, and also without any Pokémon at the moment.

Rui was starting to struggle as well. With two Shadows on the field, her Dragonair was being tag-teamed. Rui, as far as I knew, only had two Pokémon, and if Dragonair was knocked out, then the other Pokémon, a Leafeon, would be facing the same problems. And both Leafeon and Dragonair were under the double-threat of Shadow and Ice.

"Leafeon, go!" Rui yelled, throwing a Pokéball, and Leafeon made her debut, sizing up the situation with a glance. As the Shadow Leafeon prepared to launch an attack from behind on Dragonair, Rui's Leafeon tackled the other Eeveelution, and the two rolled on the ground in a jumble of fur and leaves. Dragonair was now facing just one threat, Beartic, but I couldn't tell how much longer she'd hold out. Rui didn't have a Snag Machine, and a Snag Ball reverted to a normal Pokéball after a short time if not used, so the best Rui could do was stall until Michael or Wes showed up. If the Shadows got too weak or fainted, the Admin would recall them and flee.

The remaining grunts were getting bolder. They released their own Pokémon, two Houndour and a Trubbish, and the Pokémon belonging to the unconscious grunt—a Grimer. Rui spared a quick glance over her shoulder, but didn't react; I guess they weren't Shadows. Which was good, because Anakin and Thunder were getting edgy, and I was outnumbered and really didn't want to deal with more Supereffective Shadow Attacks. On the other hand, these new enemies looked like they were much stronger than either of the two Shinx, so it was four-to-one, and if a Shadow decided to tangle with me as well things were gonna get hairy.

One of the Houndour strayed too close, and I struck out with Iron Tail, catching him across the muzzle. He whimpered and retreated, but his partner rushed forward in the same instant, and I mistimed my second attack. My tail struck one of the bony growths on her back, and the impact sent painful vibrations lancing up my spine. I knew I'd be unable to use Iron Tail after that, and I hoped my balance wouldn't be affected; my tail was numb. My opponent, however, didn't seem to have felt a thing.

I couldn't use Dig because of the time I'd leave Anakin and Thunder open for capture. My Iron Tail was effectively disabled, and I couldn't use Quick Attack or my last-resort, because I was beginning to feel the effects of my numbed tail on my balance and the recoil risk in a situation like this was too great—I didn't need to end up even more injured than I already was, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of my wounds had already re-opened. That just left Thunder, and I was pretty sure that if I stuck to the one attack, I'd end up falling into a predictable battle style. The Trubbish, Grimer, and female Houndour were closing in; I had to think fast.

A sudden explosion made everyone stop and look up, and I saw a flash of chocolate brown, signifying that Michael had just arrived in Churreon form. He blurred past again, and a second Shadow Ball detonated, this time next to the unconscious grunt, who leapt up screaming bloody murder and ran off, his suit somehow having caught fire.

_Stop, drop, and roll, idiot!_ Michael yelled after him, though the Grunt couldn't hear him. Shifter telepathy has a distance limit when it comes to projecting to humans, and for once I was grateful. We really didn't need an enemy, even a stupid one, wondering why he had heard a disembodied voice that may or may not have come from a funny-looking Pokémon messing around in his head—even if he chalked it up to hysteria. The Grimer watched its fleeing Trainer, then oozed off to watch the remainder of the battle as a spectator along with the male Houndour, who was hiding in the hedge.

Dragonair collapsed, and Rui hurriedly recalled her before the Shadows could do any more damage. Michael, having already evened the odds, circled once before landing at Rui's side, stepping in to join the battle. Beartic snarled at the sudden appearance of a fresh opponent, while the Shadow Leafeon was claw-to-claw with Rui's Leafeon. I kept my eye on the female Houndour, who appeared to be the most dangerous of the two remaining Pokémon. Anakin and Thunder were discharging small sparks from their fur, and the Trubbish seemed intimidated by the display, because it backed off.

Footsteps pounded on the path, and Wes bounded into the fray, his two most powerful Pokémon—Sunstrike and Eclipse—racing ahead. Eclipse sent the Shadow Leafeon tumbling backwards after ramming it full-tilt, while Sunstrike used Psychic to immobilize Beartic.

"Those two are the Shadows?" He asked, reaching into his coat for two Pokéballs.

Rui nodded, focused on the battle. Wes found two Pokéballs, dusted the lint off of them, and prepared to convert them to Snag Balls. His Snag Machine was an older model, and it appeared at first to be a part of his trenchcoat, attracting less attention than Michael's. The only drawbacks were that Wes tended to attract attention anyways—tall and slim, with tanned skin and grayish-sandy hair that was windblown into permanent spikes, golden eyes, and a white scar running along the bridge of his nose and across his cheeks. Even when dressed casually he stood out in the crowd—and no one dared ask about the scar. It was, along with his past, a very touchy—and forbidden—subject.

The Admin gestured with her hand, and it must have been some sort of signal, because the Shadow Leafeon abandoned its glaring contest with Eclipse and instead went after Wes, forehead-leaf and tail glowing. Wes threw up an arm to block it, and it was only this quick reflex that prevented him from being gashed across the throat by Leaf Blade. As it was, the Shadow's attack sliced his sleeve open and cut through a bandage underneath, opening up further what appeared to be a recent wound. He hissed in pain, knocked back by the impact, but at the same time hurled a Snag Ball at the Leafeon, which must have been converted as the Leafeon attacked. The Admin swore as her Shadow was engulfed, and as the Snag Ball rocked on the ground before falling still she dove after it, trying to reach it before we could.

Michael was faster. He dashed towards the Snag Ball on all fours, knocking it away from the admin's hand with one wing. While she struggled to get up he pivoted easily and intercepted the Snag Ball as it rolled across the battlefield, one hand-paw pressing the button on its center and shrinking it to its smaller size. He gripped it in his teeth and ran, soon gaining enough speed to become airborne.

And that was when Beartic managed to break free of Sunstrike's telekinetic grip. The Ice-Type Shadow roared, sending a blast of frigid air racing through the area. Several feet of the flowerbeds froze, and I saw Flabébé and Floette hurriedly begin attending to the plants in an effort to revive them, while a pair of Fletchling abandoned the scene as fast as they could.

Michael wasn't so lucky. The sudden turbulence sent him flipping tip over tail, and as he struggled to right himself frost swept across his wings, followed quickly by ice. He crashed to the ground, curled around the Snag Ball, frozen feathers snapping from the impact. A pained yelp echoed through my mind, before Michael fainted, thankfully now unaware of the state of his wings.

_The Beartic's stronger than I thought .It just KO'ed Michael, and he's no pushover. He's not gonna be flying anytime soon._

Eclipse ran over to the unconscious Churreon and retrieved the Snag Ball, sprinting over to Wes just as the Admin got to her feet. "Oh, you are SO going to pay for that," she snarled. "And I don't mean just for the dry-cleaning bill, which, by the way, you couldn't afford anyhow!"

_The heck? Jake's said some odd stuff, but nothing this weird. What's with their outfit obsession?_

The Beartic dropped to all fours, growling low in its throat. Eclipse had returned to the battle, standing guard over Michael. The Trubbish and Houndour from before had given up on Anakin and Thunder and were now circling the Umbreon and his unconscious charge, looking for an opening. Sunstrike was levitating Leafeon off the field; she appeared to have been poisoned by Trubbish and had collapsed. Rui hurriedly recalled her as well, and unable to continue battling, let Wes take her place. He had managed to find a spare cloth in one of his pockets and had bound it tightly around his arm, ignoring the patch of red that was staring to show. The second Snag Ball had already reverted; Wes ran it back through the Snag Machine and was about to throw it when one of the remaining Grunts yanked his arm up and it fell from his grasp. Rui dove after it, as did the other Grunt. She managed to grab it before the other woman did, though she was elbowed in the face as the Grunt tried to take it from her.

Without getting up, Rui lobbed it at the Beartic, the Snag Ball throwing up dust as it skidded across the ground. Beartic saw it coming and stepped back, and for an instant it seemed as if the Snag Ball would miss. But then a pale glow surrounded it and it came to a halt under Beartic's foot, button upwards. At soon as Beartic stepped on it the Snag Ball did its job, sucking in the Shadow before shutting with an audible _click_. It vibrated, then rocked once and was still. Critical Capture. Sunstrike casually retrieved the Snag Ball, and I could've sworn there was a smug grin on his furry face as he floated his prize back to his Trainer, who had managed to kick his opponent in the groin in order to break free. The Grunt was moaning in pain, curled up in a little ball on the ground, while the other one was trying to recall the Trubbish and Houndour, both of whom had been dispatched by Eclipse within seconds of each other. The Admin's face was furious.

"Come." She snapped at the two Grunts, and they trailed after her as she stalked off. As soon as they were out of sight I Shifted and rushed over to Michael, who was just beginning to come around.

_Take it easy, _I told him as he attempted to sit up. _You just took a lot of damage._

_ I know. My wings….I'm….not able to feel them. I think…maybe something's broken…..other than feathers._

_ We'll get you back to the Pokémon center soon. Just don't Shift until we know how badly you're hurt._

_Don't remind me. THAT is something I never want to do again…._

I kneeled down and let him climb onto my shoulder. Other than the injuries to his wings and a few friction burns, Michael seemed to be in pretty good shape, but with Cameron already down for the count we didn't need another Shifter unable to move if we had to leave in a rush. Behind me Anakin and Thunder were jumping down from the bench, and the male Houndour was peering fearfully out of the hedge. I held out my hand and he flinched, then came a little closer when he realized I wasn't going to hurt him.

"I'm sorry I had to attack you," I told him. "I was just defending my friends." The Houndour glanced over my shoulder, then whined softly and pressed his damp nose into my palm. His tail wagged gently, and I was glad he had accepted my apology. He seemed like such a nice Pokémon, and I wondered what had made him so afraid. The Grimer was busy messing with a couple of the frozen flowers, oblivious to the Floette trying to shoo him away. He finally left and slithered towards Rui, probably only leaving because of how green the Fairy-Type seemed to be. I got the feeling this Grimer was also a considerate sort, and did not wish to cause another Pokémon distress.

Wes glanced at the two Pokémon who had been left behind; the Grimer, who had apparently taken a liking to Rui, and the Houndour who was now glued to my side. He sighed, and pulled out another pair of Pokéballs, obviously dreading what he was about to do. He quickly converted them into Snag Balls, and hesitated a moment before tossing them at the two Pokémon. He watched as they rocked gently and fell still before handing one each to Rui and me. I let Houndour back out, and he once again pressed himself up against me, almost causing me to trip when I got back to my feet. Rui did the same, managing to convince Grimer to stay away from the flowers as he began heading in that direction.

Wes, meanwhile, unclipped two old and battered Pokéballs from his belt and recalled Sunstrike and Eclipse, not looking back as he turned away from us, narrowly avoiding stumbling over Anakin and Thunder as they crossed his path. His face was a mask; I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I only Snagged those two because they were left behind, and that Houndour will most likely be better off for it from the looks of things. Don't make me do this again."

He walked off, clutching his injured arm. Wes's pace quickened as he got further away, and he was soon out of my line of sight. I saw a muted flash, and as the path curved back into view I glimpsed the scruffy, golden-eyed Umbreon from before, limping as he made his way back to the Pokémon Center, the afternoon light slowly yielding to the shadows of dusk.


End file.
